Before it was Arnold Palmer's Bay Hill Club & Lodge, it was just "Bay Hill," a beautiful wild place on the edge of the burgeoning city of Orlando, populated by otters, bobcats and—as far as Arnold Palmer was concerned—potential.

Palmer first visited Bay Hill in 1965, around the time Walt Disney announced plans to build a theme park nearby. Palmer was there to play in an exhibition with Jack Nicklaus, Don Cherry and Dave Ragan. Palmer won, fell in love with the property, and in 1970 took out a lease with an option to buy. By 1975 he owned the place and by 1979 it was hosting what would become the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard, today a tournament—and a venue—beloved by pros and amateurs alike.

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